Bob Bradley's contract as U.S. soccer coach extended through 2014

After Bradley met with USSF President Sunil Gulati on Thursday in Los Angeles, reports surfaced that Gulati had spoken to Klinsmann, Germany's coach at the 2006 World Cup and the federation's top candidate four years ago before negotiations broke down.

Bradley, whose current contract runs through December, had expressed interest in managerial jobs in England, most recently with Aston Villa. But he had also said he would be honored to guide the U.S. team through the next World Cup cycle.

Supporters cite his leadership in taking the Americans to the final of the 2009 Confederations Cup, finishing first in the region in World Cup qualifying and winning their first-round group in South Africa this summer. Detractors questioned his roster and lineup selections, as well as his tactical philosophy.

The new deal was reached late Sunday/early Monday morning.

Gulati and Bradley will address the situation Tuesday in New York.

Bradley's agent, Ron Waxman, said: "Bob has always been very proud to coach the U.S. team and he's very happy to continue."

Two years ago, I was calling for Bradley's head. A year ago, I was convinced the win against Spain was the worst thing ever because it would keep Bradley in place. But in the lead-up to the Cup, and during the Cup itself, I became more and more convinced that we needed to keep Bradley. Yes, he made mistakes. But nobody is more likely to learn from those mistakes than Bob Bradley. I'm convinced he'll be keep adjusting and evolving, and in 2014 we'll have a stronger team, and he'll be one of the reasons.

Best domestic option we had, IMHO.
The best assessment of the next 4 years will come with the development structure as much as how we do in Brasil in '14. It is critical that our player development be a huge focus, from the youth level to MLS development squads. Klinsman made it very clear that we had much to grow on here and the player pool for '18 is being developed (for better or for worse) right now. I would love to see us hire Klinsman as a development consultant for the next 4 years.

I like Bob. I am usually in 90% agreement with his lineups. I think he gives players a fair chance and picks the guys who are hot rather than stubbornly sticking with his favorites. If he figures out how to get the US to stop spotting teams goals in the first 15 minutes, we'll do very well. For all you Bob Bradley haters, go ahead and name a better coach who is available and would do it (other than Klinsman, who I don't even buy is better).

According to Goff, the decision was reached late Sunday night or early Monday morning. I can imagine that Bradley, after watching DC United at the HDC, realized that if he wasn't rehired by Gulati the only job he could get would be at United, and immediately called Sunil, cut his salary demands in half, and signed up for another four years.

Bradley for four more years, eh?...sigh. Pass. Lord knows we don't have the talent of the top 15 teams in the world, but Bradley certainly doesn't do us any favors with his team selections. Clark over Edu against Ghana, anyone? I actually screamed "NO!" when that team was announced.

This is a joke. What is he going to do differently to take this program to the next level? A monkey could get us to qualify...what we need is someone who can make that next progression so we can consistently challenge the elite nations of the world. What Bradley's rehiring says to me that the USSF is the cheapest sports entity in the country that only cares about reaching the final 32.

Bob did a great job getting the team ready and had them play their hearts out. Problem is, they remain a middling true (non-FIFA rating) 15-30 global ranking team. That's a huge accomplishment given the history of the team and sport's popularity in the US. But homegrown coaching can only take US soccer so far. We need a gifted European or South American coach to move up into the top 10. Eight years of Arenas and now eight of his understudy, Bradley, shows an uninspired, even incestuous lack of creativity among US soccer 'suits'. We need fresh DNA, new tactics, superior player development, a coach who expects perfection rather than cheers and hopes for it. Most importantly, our strikers desperately need tutelage from a former elite such as Klinsman if they are ever to reach world class status. Bradley can get his players to fight, but he can only teach them so many skills. Expect a similar performance by the US team in 2014.

This is extremely disappointing. The U.S. MNT really needed a change in manager. Bradley didn't really achieved much by bringing U.S. to the final 32 -- being in the weak CONCACAF, that was chicken feed. In addition, we got into the final 16, simply owing to England's failure this time. Anyone who consistently failed to prepare the mental state of his players and allowed them to spot opponents goals in the first 15 minutes of a match has significant deficiency. Worst, Bradley always looked like a dead person on the sideline, devoid of any emotion; or, at best, a person waiting to be hung -- no confidence at all.

In as much as I prefer to have an American coach or manager, the reality is we aren't there yet -- we don't see any European club making any offer to Bradley, did we? Right now, we need a good foreign coach and a much, much better program to identify and develop native talents.

I am not looking forward to any excitement from the U.S. MNT in the next four years.

This truly sucks! Truly sucks! Even if Plan A being Klinsmann faltered there are so many candidates out there to negotiate with and who would be interested in taking the US to the next level. I am sorry but Bradley hit his plateau for the moment. I believe he showed his 'greeness' in this past WC where it was all laid out for the US to go past the 2nd round (easy group and accesible opponent in the 2nd round). This is what we get for a lame media (not you Goff) who doesn't pressure and hopefully now the USSF will feel the pressure. As us fans are really dissapointed, hopefully the media will pressure and sponsors walk away which will lead to Sunil resigning and Bradley being fired. GUYS I mean is there any more proof than the game against Brasil who outplayed us in our turf!!! C'mon now. Not even Spain did that to Mexico.

I was in the 'hire Klinsmann' group - HOWEVER - it isn't because I thought that Bradley did a bad job. I just felt that someone like JK would have brought a flair to the team that was lacking during the World Cup.

Frankly, I'm not upset they kept Bob around. He's been piloting ship Team USA slowly through the waters, but advancing isn't a bad thing. I don't think that we as a soccer nation have regressed, it's just that I think Bradley is more of a tried-and-true type coach, unwilling to think outside the box and break new ground.

For instance, Altidore had been struggling, the U.S. had a red-hot striker in Buddle, and he was barely used during the WC.

Overall, it was disappointing to lose to Nigeria, but can't blame Bradley for that. Early goals did us in, and failing to capitalize on our chances. The Confederations Cup was probably the high-point of U.S. soccer, and Bradley has us cruising along.

So I'm not totally overjoyed, but am relatively happy that our direction will continue, and stability isn't a bad thing for us at this point in our development.

I'd give this signing an A-. I'd also say that Gulati - to his credit - stuck to his beliefs. Far too many executives in sports make changes simply to show they are in charge, and for changes sake. Gulati will take a lot of heat if this doesn't pan out, so he must be placing a lot of trust in Bradley and must REALLY think Bob's the best man for the job...

The biggest problem with the USSF is not with its coaches but rather with Sunil Gulati, a professor of economics, born in India (India has never been to a world cup) who is making more than 100K per year with a luxury suite expense account as the USSF president. As long as the US MNT loses above average, there will be no danger in him losing his job. Each wolrd cup Sunil Gulati says tha same thing, "THE MNT is getting better." Please...get an american sports executive in the front office running things...not an Indian economics professor.

The biggest problem with the USSF is not with its coaches but rather with Sunil Gulati, a professor of economics, born in India (India has never been to a world cup) who is making more than 100K per year with a luxury suite expense account as the USSF president. As long as the US MNT loses above average, there will be no danger in him losing his job. Each world cup Sunil Gulati says the same thing, "THE MNT is getting better." Please...get an american sports executive in the front office running things...not an Indian economics professor.

I like Bob. I am usually in 90% agreement with his lineups. I think he gives players a fair chance and picks the guys who are hot rather than stubbornly sticking with his favorites. If he figures out how to get the US to stop spotting teams goals in the first 15 minutes, we'll do very well. For all you Bob Bradley haters, go ahead and name a better coach who is available and would do it (other than Klinsman, who I don't even buy is better).

Posted by: SeanWG | August 30, 2010 7:58 PM | Report abuse

These are pretty much my sentiments as well. Bob Bradley did a fantastic job of integrating so many of the players in our player pool into the national team setup and giving everyone a fair chance. I look forward to four more years of this.

Bradley did fine. The loss to Ghana was a letdown, but I was expecting it even before the starting lineups were announced. Ghana had more athletic ability and soccer skills. Frankly, I was more disappointed by the loss to Ghana in '06, because I think the talent gap wasn't as big then.

If Bradley falls on his face, he can be replaced. Other federations do that. He's signed for 4 years, but his tenure will depend on getting some results. The USA will have to be better in qualifying games on the road. If he can do that for the USMNT, he will deserve the opportunity to lead the team in Brazil '14.

Great selection by US Soccer. Congrats to Bob, he earned it and I hope he unearths some great gems this cycle. Great news.
The haters will ramp up the hate talk soon enough, but for tonight they are gonna have to chew on this one. I wonder how many heads exploded once this became official.

Ok enough of that, good luck Bob and best wishes this round. Take us to the next level in our natural progression.

As far as I know it is an unpaid position....curious where you got your $100K fact from?

Another fact you were not totally honest about (and a tad racist are we?)...yes he was born in India (so what?) but raised in the USA...

Gulati was born in Allahabad, India. Gulati's family moved to a small town in Nebraska when he was five years old and he grew up playing soccer. Gulati is an alumnus of Cheshire High School in Cheshire, CT. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Bucknell University and earned his M.A. and M.Phil. in Economics at Columbia University. He served on the Columbia Economics Faculty from 1986 to 1990. In 1991, he joined the World Bank through its Young Professionals Program and served as Country Economist for Moldova

The biggest problem with the USSF is not with its coaches but rather with Sunil Gulati, a professor of economics, born in India (India has never been to a world cup) who is making more than 100K per year with a luxury suite expense account as the USSF president. As long as the US MNT loses above average, there will be no danger in him losing his job. Each world cup Sunil Gulati says the same thing, "THE MNT is getting better." Please...get an american sports executive in the front office running things...not an Indian economics professor.

Poor decision, IMO. Look at the results of the teams in South Africa that returned with their same coach from four years ago (Lippi & Domenech). Not to mention the Arena debacle from '06. The environment will become stale and play will suffer.

I am glad Sunil did this. Now I won't invest so much in a mediocre team. I guess US Soccer learned nothing from allowing Arena to coach 2006 and in 2014 we should look forward to being eliminated in the group stage. I find Bradley being the coach for another cycle unfortunate.

Meh . . . the only reason for bringing a coach back for a second World Cup go around is if he exceeds expectations greatly the first time. In this summer's World Cup, this U.S. merely met expectations (thanks in large part to England's epic fail) and blew an excellent opportunity make it to the semi-finals. If Klinnsmann wouldn't take the job, we've got plenty of good domestic coaches to fall back on. Piotr Novak, for example, would be a very credible USA coach.

I would have preferred new blood like Klinsman, but Bradley is probably the best choice given the apparent fact that top-level international coaches weren't lining up for the USA job.

Whoever coaches USA faces basic problems. A thin talent pool with few players beyond keepers lighting up the top levels of European futball. (USA starter Altidore is a glaring example of failure.) A subpar youth development system. (The U-20 roster is a bleak landscape.) A national culture that renders futball a secondary sport.(Leaving the World Cup audience aside, the TV ratings are comparatively poor.)

Any USA coach is systemically handicapped. Until these basics change, maybe the best USA fans can expect is what they've gotten from the team under Arena and Bradley.

Let's hope that Bradley can grow with his new contract. He must cure the slow starts. And he must improve his lineup choices that put players like Clark and Findley on the field at the wrong times.

@SammyT1 - the national team coach's role isn't to teach players skills, but to make the right selections and get the team to mesh in the limited window he has with them together. The thin talent pool (especially up front) is a huge problem for us, and no nats coach is going to fix that.

That said, although I liked Bradley, I would have preferred a new direction. Still, not a terrible decision to retain him.

"the national team coach's role isn't to teach players skills, but to make the right selections and get the team to mesh in the limited window he has with them together. The thin talent pool (especially up front) is a huge problem for us, and no nats coach is going to fix that."

A good national coach can teach skills, particularly if he has experience in a given position. Klinsman does, and our strikers - just as Germany's have - could learn much from him. A national coach doesn't just coach during the World Cup in a 'limited window', but rather for four years. In addition to getting players to 'mesh', he has to select players, test, tinker with and bloody them on the field, develop a team strategy, chemistry, attitude, level of professionalism and personality. Bradley is a smart enough guy, and is willing to learn, but there's a big difference between coaching at UVA and the US league and being eager to improve, and being battle tested in the elite European leagues. Bradley himself said he envisions a team that uses "our mobility, our athleticism [and] combine them with continued attempts to improve our understanding and the way we create chances, the way we pass and move. We are a team that continues to improve technically." Those are the words of a man who wants - but isn't yet completely sure how - to take the next step up.

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